10 Famous Things That Were Invented By Movie Time Travellers

1. Hot Air Balloons - Norman's Awesome Experience

Balloon Forsaken Norman's Awesome Experience is a Canadian film that came out shortly after the surprise success of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. (This film was in production before its American counterpart's release, but as you can probably tell the name was changed to capitalize on Bill and Ted's popularity.) Essentially, the film is about a guy named Norman who is sent back in time just before the Battle of Hastings. He has just enough working knowledge of modern technology to make a significant impact on the war. But his crowning achievement, without a doubt, is his introduction of weaponized hot air balloons. The regular variety wouldn't have been invented until right around the French Revolution otherwise, and to my knowledge no one has ever thought to use them in battle. Unfortunately. Oh yeah, and you know how there's a place called Normandy, and people from there are called Normans? Not a coincidence. Norman apparently had big enough cajones that he felt good about naming an entire people after himself. This film is often unfairly maligned as a Bill and Ted knockoff, but it's actually not too bad. A little low budget perhaps, but far more fun than it gets credit for.
Contributor
Contributor

Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.